Archive for the 'Max Tuerk' Tag Under 'USC' Category

* Receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster (ankle, hand) is less than 100 percent, Helton said, but was "bouncing around" at the facility Sunday. He is expected to play against UCLA.

* Helton's biggest positives from Saturday's 48-28 loss at Oregon: the play of tailback Justin Davis, who had a career-high 141 rushing yards; and improved special teams, especially net punting and punt return.

* Helton said the biggest key with Adoree' Jackson's punt-return touchdown was "getting a pitch to hit." The punt was low, short and returnable.

* Regarding that strange intentional-grounding call on the flea-flicker play, Helton said quarterback Cody Kessler couldn't throw the ball away once it was handled by someone else and lateraled. Still, Helton described the ruling as a "judgment call."

* Good news for the offensive line: Left tackle Chad Wheeler was a full participant after missing the Utah game because of a concussion. With Wheeler back, Zach Banner shifted back to right tackle.

* Receivers Steven Mitchell Jr. (ankle) and Darreus Rogers (hamstring) did some work. Mitchell did individual drills while wearing a small brace on his ankle. Rogers arrived late with a trainer, ran on the side and jumped into the final 11-on-11 session. Their status is to be determined for the Cal game. Both sat out vs. Utah. Mitchell hasn't played since Washington.

* Adoree' Jackson worked exclusively at cornerback after playing mainly wide receiver last week. He's needed more at cornerback vs. Cal.

* Safety John Plattenburg returned after missing last week because of a stomach ailment. Plattenburg should play a big role with Marvell Tell III out (shoulder).

* Sophomore center Toa Lobendhan suffered a torn ACL in his left knee against Utah on Saturday and is out for the season. He is the second center to suffer a season-ending knee injury in the past three games, joining senior Max Tuerk on the sidelines.

All I can do is trust in God and Fight On! Thank you all for the support!

* Redshirt sophomore Khaliel Rodgers becomes USC's third starting center. Helton described Rodgers as "the second-biggest star of the game" against Utah after he relieved Lobendahn in the first half. Redshirt sophomre Nico Falah and freshman Cole Smith will be trained to back up Rodgers.

* Tight end Tyler Petite has a bruised foot, but tests showed there's no break. His availability will be based on pain tolerance.

Here's the latest "Trojan R&R" video featuring yours truly and Chris Swanson, the publisher of TrojanSports.com. In it, we discuss the state of USC's offensive line, which could be down a second starter for the Utah game if tackle Chad Wheeler (concussion) isn't able to play. Can the unit hold up without Wheeler and center Max Tuerk, who's out for the season? We also spotlight one player from each side of the ball: receiver Deontay Burnett on offense and cornerback Isaiah Langley on defense.

USC senior center Max Tuerk will miss the remainder of the season because of torn knee ligaments, the school announced Sunday.

Tuerk (Santa Margarita High) has started 38 games at USC, including the past 18 at center. He was considered a candidate for All-America honors.

Tuerk got hurt in the first quarter of USC's game against Washington on Thursday. He spent most of the rest of the night with an ice pack on his right knee. A source close to Tuerk said he suffered a torn ACL. Having played five games already this season, Tuerk is not eligible to redshirt. So his USC career appears to be over.

Sophomore Toa Lobendahn (La Habra) took Tuerk's place and handled the first-team reps during practice Sunday. Lobendhan has been the Trojans' starting right guard. Viane Talamaivao, another sophomore, should take over at right guard.

USC also announced the status of three other players injured during the Washington game.

The good: Tailbacks Tre Madden (17 carries, 120 yards), Ronald Jones II (8-65) and Justin Davis (8-31) combined for 216 yards and a 6.5-yard per-carry average behind an offensive line that didn’t have center Max Tuerk (knee) for most of the game. … WR JuJu Smith-Schuster had another productive game with six receptions for 82 yards (although he also lost a fumble).

The not-so-good: USC converted only 1 of 13 third downs, and its 12 points were almost 35 below its season average entering the game. … QB Cody Kessler struggled from the outset, completing only 16 of 29 passes for a season-low 156 yards with a season-high two interceptions; he also held the ball too long too often, contributing to Washington’s five sacks.

* Sarkisian didn't have any definitive information on the injuries suffered by center Max Tuerk (knee), defensive lineman Claude Pelon (knee), receiver Steven Mitchell Jr. (ankle) and cornerback Iman Marshall (upper body). But Sarkisian said all of them could be "significant." We'll have more info by Sunday afternoon, when USC resumes practice, at the latest. A source close to Marshall said he's OK, and Marshall tweeted as much Friday morning:

Im all good...Gotta keep my head on a swivel

* I asked Sarkisian why USC didn't run the ball more against Washington. He said again that hindsight is 20/20 and that every call is made "in the best interest of our football team."

* Sarkisian said Adoree' Jackson "got put in a very tough situation" because of the injuries suffereed by Mitchell and Marshall. "To his credit, he fought his tail off," Sarkisian said. Jackson played a season-high 94 snaps: 30 on offense, 54 on defense and 10 on special teams

Washington needed to make tonight's game against USC an ugly one to stand a chance, and that's exactly what it has been so far.

The Trojans lead at halftime, 6-3, their usually potent passing game sputtering.

Cody Kessler has completed 9 of 15 passes for only 79 yards with two interceptions. Entering the game, he had a touchdown-to-interception ratio of 15-1.

The only way the Trojans could move the ball effectively was on the ground - against the best run defense in the Pac-12 Conference. USC has 106 rushing yards, including 96 by Tre Madden. Washington entered Thursday allowing 107 rushing yards per game.

Fortunately for USC, Washington freshman quarterback Jake Browning hasn't been sharp either, completing 10 of 19 passes for 83 yards and an interception. Freshman cornerback Iman Marshall made the pick. It was the first of his career.

I joked to a colleague after the game that Leonard Williams is proving to be the defensive MVP of the 2015 Trojans. My point being: We’re seeing now how much USC misses him. Not only did Williams make plays, he occupied blockers. The theory went that the Trojans could make up for his departure with improved depth. That did not prove to be the case against Stanford. The Cardinal absolutely overpowered the Trojans at the line of scrimmage. A team that couldn’t score a touchdown against Northwestern couldn’t be stopped against USC. Generally speaking, I’m reluctant to criticize college players because they aren’t paid professionals. But they’d be the first to tell you they didn’t get the job done. As Greg Townsend Jr. told me after the game: “We tried to execute the game plan. Everybody has got to be on the same page. Everybody needs to be executing at the same high level. Everybody – including me – has got to do their job.”

2. Blame Sark?

To me, this loss was more about USC getting beaten physically than getting out-schemed. I know many of you – many, many of you – want to blame Steve Sarkisian. As the head coach, he deserves much of it. The question is what to blame him for specifically. I thought USC’s game plan was good. The Trojans set out to stop the run on first down and put Kevin Hogan into long-yardage situations. They just didn’t do it. The question then becomes: Is the message getting through to the players? That seemed like a problem at times last season. Given that it’s Year 2 under Justin Wilcox, it shouldn’t be. After USC surrendered 41 points and 474 yards to Stanford, it’s again fair to wonder whether Wilcox is the right man for the job. USC did make adjustments in the second half, blitzing more and using more 4-3 alignments. But even when the Trojans generated pressure, they lost their rush lanes and let Hogan escape. Is that coaching, execution or both?

* Sarkisian said USC is preparing to go without tailback Justin Davis (ribs), linebacker Lamar Dawson (ribs) and defensive linemen Claude Pelon (knee) and Jordan Simmons (knee) for Week 1. Sarkisian said having them available would be a "bonus."

* Soma Vainuku also appears to be part of the USC's tailback rotation. Tre Madden will start. Many will play.

* It appears USC has settled on a starting offensive line. From left to right: Chad Wheeler, Damien Mama, Max Tuerk, Toa Lobendahn and Zach Banner. But Sarkisian stressed that the competition is ongoing for a unit he described as "10-deep."